What Is a Mantra and How Does It Work

A saying from the Vedas claims that
"Speech is the essence of humanity." All of what humanity thinks and
ultimately becomes is determined by the expression of ideas and actions through
speech and its derivative, writing. Everything, the Vedas maintain, comes into
being through speech. Ideas remain unactualized until
they are created through the power of speech. Similarly, The New Testament,
Gospel of John, starts "In the beginning was The Word. And the Word was
with God and the Word was God..."

In mainstream Vedic practices, most
Buddhist techniques and classical Hinduism, mantra is viewed as a necessity for
spiritual advancement and high attainment. In The KalachakraTantra, by the Dalai Lama and Jeffrey Hopkins, the
Dalai Lama states, "Therefore, without depending upon mantra...Buddhahood cannot be attained."

Clearly, there is a reason why such widely
divergent sources of religious wisdom as the Vedas, the New Testament and the
Dalai Lama speak in common ideas. Here are some important ideas about mantra
which will enable you to begin a practical understanding of what mantra is and
what it can do.

Definition # 1: Mantras
are energy-based sounds.

Saying any word produces an actual
physical vibration. Over time, if we know what the effect of that vibration is,
then the word may come to have meaning associated with the effect of saying
that vibration or word. This is one level of energy basis for words.

Another level is intent. If the actual
physical vibration is coupled with a mental intention, the vibration then
contains an additional mental component which influences the result of saying
it. The sound is the carrier wave and the intent is overlaid upon the wave
form, just as a colored gel influences the appearance and effect of a white
light.

In either instance, the word is based upon
energy. Nowhere is this idea more true than for
Sanskrit mantra. For although there is a general meaning
which comes to be associated with mantras, the only lasting definition is the
result or effect of saying the mantra.

Definition #2: Mantras
create thought-energy waves.

The human consciousness is really a
collection of states of consciousness which distributively
exist throughout the physical and subtle bodies. Each organ has a primitive
consciousness of its own. That primitive consciousness allows it to perform
functions specific to it. Then come the various
systems. The cardio-vascular system, the reproductive system and other systems
have various organs or body parts working at slightly different stages of a
single process. Like the organs, there is a primitive consciousness also
associated with each system. And these are just within the physical body.
Similar functions and states of consciousness exist within the subtle body as
well. So individual organ consciousness is overlaid by system
consciousness, overlaid again by subtle body counterparts and consciousness,
and so ad infinitum.

The ego with its self-defined
"I" ness assumes a pre-eminent state among
the subtle din of random, semi-conscious thoughts which pulse through our
organism. And of course, our organism can "pick up" the vibration of
other organisms nearby. The result is that there are myriad vibrations riding
in and through the subconscious mind at any given time.

Mantras start a powerful vibration which
corresponds to both a specific spiritual energy frequency and a state of
consciousness in seed form. Over time, the mantra process begins to override
all of the other smaller vibrations, which eventually become absorbed by the
mantra. After a length of time which varies from individual to individual, the
great wave of the mantra stills all other vibrations. Ultimately, the mantra
produces a state where the organism vibrates at the rate completely in tune
with the energy and spiritual state represented by and contained within the
mantra.

At this point, a change of state occurs in
the organism. The organism becomes subtly different. Just as a laser is light
which is coherent in a new way, the person who becomes one with the state
produced by the mantra is also coherent in a way which did not exist prior to
the conscious undertaking of repetition of the mantra.

Definition #3: Mantras
are tools of power and tools for power.

They are formidable. They are ancient.
They work. The word "mantra" is derived from two Sanskrit words. The
first is "manas" or "mind," which
provides the "man" syllable. The second syllable is drawn from the Sanskrit
word "trai" meaning to "protect"
or to "free from." Therefore, the word mantra in its most literal
sense means "to free from the mind." Mantra is, at its core, a tool
used by the mind which eventually frees one from the vagaries of the mind.

But the journey from mantra to freedom is
a wondrous one. The mind expands, deepens and widens and eventually dips into
the essence of cosmic existence. On its journey, the mind comes to understand
much about the essence of the vibration of things. And knowledge, as we all
know, is power. In the case of mantra, this power is tangible and wieldable.

Statements About Mantra

If we warn a
young child that it should not touch a hot stove, we try to explain that it
will burn the child. However, language is insufficient to convey the
experience. Only the act of touching the stove and being burned will adequately
define the words "hot" and "burn" in the context of "stove."
Essentially, there is no real direct translation of the experience of being
burned.

Similarly, there
is no word which is the exact equivalent of the experience of sticking one's
finger into an electrical socket. When we stick our hand into the socket, only
then do we have a context for the word "shock." But shock is really a
definition of the result of the action of sticking our hand into the socket.

It is the same
with mantras. The only true definition is the experience which it ultimately
creates in the sayer. Over thousands of years, many sayers have had common experiences and passed them on to
the next generation. Through this tradition, a context of experiential
definition has been created.

Definitions of mantras are oriented toward either the results of
repeating the mantra or of the intentions of the original framers and
testers of the mantra.

In Sanskrit,
sounds which have no direct translation but which contain great power which can be "grown" from it are called
"seed mantras." Seed in Sanskrit is called "Bijam"
in the singular and "Bija" in the plural
form. Please refer to the pronunciation guide on page 126 for more information
on pronunciation of mantras.

Let's take an
example. The mantra "Shrim" or Shreem is the seed sound for the principle of abundance (Lakshmi, in the Hindu Pantheon.) If one says "shrim" a hundred times, a certain increase in the
potentiality of the sayer to accumulate abundance is
achieved. If one says "shrim" a thousand
times or a million, the result is correspondingly greater.

But abundance can
take many forms. There is prosperity, to be sure, but there is also peace as
abundance, health as wealth, friends as wealth, enough food to eat as wealth,
and a host of other kinds and types of abundance which may vary from individual
to individual and culture to culture. It is at this point that the intention of
the sayer begins to influence the degree of the kind
of capacity for accumulating wealth which may accrue.

Mantras have been tested and/or verified by their original
framers or users.

Each mantra is
associated with an actual sage or historical person who once lived. Although
the oral tradition predates written speech by centuries, those earliest oral
records annotated on palm leaves discussed earlier clearly designate a specific
sage as the "seer" of the mantra. This means that the mantra was
probably arrived at through some form of meditation or intuition and
subsequently tested by the person who first encountered it.

Sanskrit mantras are composed of letters which correspond to
certain petals or spokes of chakras in the subtle body.

As discussed in
Chapter 2, there is a direct relationship between the mantra sound, either
vocalized or subvocalized, and the chakras located
throughout the body.

Mantras are energy which can be likened to fire.

You can use fire
either to cook your lunch or to burn down the forest. It is the same fire.
Similarly, mantra can bring a positive and beneficial result, or it can produce
an energy meltdown when misused or practiced without some guidance. There are
certain mantra formulas which are so exact, so specific and so powerful that
they must be learned and practiced under careful supervision by a qualified
teacher.

Fortunately, most
of the mantras widely used in the West and certainly those contained in this volume
are perfectly safe to use on a daily basis, even with some intensity.

Mantra energizes prana.

"Prana" is a Sanskrit term for a form of life energy
which can be transferred from individual to individual. Prana
may or may not produce an instant dramatic effect upon transfer. There can be
heat or coolness as a result of the transfer.

Some healers
operate through transfer of prana. A massage
therapist can transfer prana with beneficial effect.
Even self-healing can be accomplished by concentrating prana
in certain organs, the result of which can be a clearing of the difficulty or
condition. For instance, by saying a certain mantra while visualizing an
internal organ bathed in light, the specific power of the mantra can become
concentrated there with great beneficial effect.

Mantras eventually quiet the mind.

At a deep level,
subconscious mind is a collective consciousness of all the forms of primitive
consciousnesses which exist throughout the physical and subtle bodies. The
dedicated use of mantra can dig into subconscious crystallized thoughts stored
in the organs and glands and transform these bodily parts into repositories of
peace.

Mantra
is a Sanskrit word. The mantras come from the Vedas and were written 5,000
years ago. The Vedas are thought to be much older, having been given to us
25,000 years ago. It is believed that Enlightened Beings wrote the Vedas, and
these are the source of mantras.

"Man" means mind and "tra" means
instrument or tool, so "mantra" literally means instrument of the
mind. Mantra Yoga means "union by voice or sound," and refers to the
rhythmic repetition of mantras. Mantras are tools for focusing  a taxicab to
take you where you want to go. When the mind is focused on a mantra, it becomes
quiet, and this takes us to the soul. Eventually, the sound merges with God,
and only the meditation or fixation of the mind remains. This is the way in
which the mantra is used as an instrument of the mind.

Every
religion has songs or chants. While they may not have the vibratory quality of
the Vedic mantras, they are mantras nonetheless. The name and object are
inseparable, so when you think of the name of Christ or Krishna,
the image comes to mind with the sound. There are mantras for Tibetans,
Buddhists, Hindus, and Christians. Sanskrit is a vibration language. This means
that contained in any Sanskrit sound is the potential to manifest into form.
The vibratory patterns that are created by chanting mantras alter the
physicality of our world. These vibratory patterns are called "Sakti." If a group of people begins to meditate and
chant OM, and there is a dish of sugar or salt, then the salt or sugar will
take on the shape of that sound  not the symbol of OM, which looks like a
three (3), and not the letters, but the symbolic representation of the meaning.
It would form a yantra or mandala.

a mantra has six parts. The first is Rishi, the person to whom it was revealed and who gave the
mantra to the world.

The mantra also has a meter, or Chhandas. This is the
inflection or the tone of the voice, and it comes naturally as the mantra is
repeated over and over. The voice finds it tone.TheDevata, or supernatural being, gives its power of informing
or identifying energy. The Bija is the seed. This is
the important word or series of words that conveys a special power to the
mantra. The Sakti is the vibratory energy pattern.

Finally, there is the Kilaka, or pin. When the pin is taken from the mantra, the hidden energy or secret
to consciousness is revealed.*

Mantras
quieten the mind. All the thoughts that we repeat in
our mind have vibrations, even though we are not hearing them out loud.
Thoughts have an effect, and this effect is not necessarily always positive,
but when we repeat a mantra, it teaches the mind to calm down and let go. You
go beyond the mind and into silence. When the mind wanders, the mantra brings
it back. And as the mantra teaches the mind to distance itself from
distraction, the distractions become smaller and less frequent. First, one
thought dissolves, then another. And you learn to hold that consciousness. When
you learn to hold the consciousness, you begin to remember who you truly are. A
mantra is like a new, more powerful antenna on your television. By using the
mantra, you are tuning to a channel you could not access before.

A
major change is that we focus on the inner self. We learn to forget about the
outer self and just be. An analogy is to think of the waves in a great ocean. When
there is a storm, the waves are huge. The ocean forgets that it is an ocean. It
thinks it is the huge, angry, dramatic waves. When the storm is over, the ocean
is calm. It is beautiful and smooth. Then the ocean feels its wholeness. All of
its parts feel at one. This is what meditation with mantras does to our
consciousness. We think we are the waves of fear or anger or jealousy that
assault our minds. When we can quiet the mind, we become like the ocean
experiencing the beauty and serenity of itself. We become our souls. Then we are
the ocean.

There
are many mantras that may be used for many things. Intention, or thinking of
what you want while meditating, is really the key. Your intention will bring
you to what you want.

Divine words are encased within the sound of the mantra. The names of the
deities can be used to bring about a manifestation of the energies associated
with that deity. This creates a sound form that holds the God energies as the
mantra is repeated. The power comes through sounds contained in the mantra.
Some mantras come from the names of the specific deities. These include Lord
Shiva and his wife, Shakti. He represents potential,
and she represents creativity. The goddess Lakshmi is
for abundance or money.
The names of deities may be used in chants. A chant for peace and love using
Lord Shiva's name is "Om NamahShivaya." Any of the other deities' names could be
substituted.

There are different seed mantras for each
chakra. The seed mantras balance the energy of the chakras. One way of viewing
this is to think of a room of clocks. When a room is full of clocks, the clocks
automatically synchronize themselves and tick together. This is what the seed
mantras do for the chakras. All of these mantras work for different outcomes,
if that's how you want to focus. There are different energies for each chakra,
and you can focus on the particular energy you want in your life. You can
concentrate on any of these seed mantras, but the Heart is the one you should
work on if you have only a little time. The Heart acts as the balance for the
entire body and system. Really, everything comes from the Heart. The Heart
connects all of the chakras.
It takes a minimum of five minutes of chanting per chakra to bring it into
balance. Here are mantras for each of them:

Root chakra: Red, Center of Physical Vitality, Stability  LAM.

Seat of the soul: Orange Personal
Energy & Sex  VAM.

Solar plexus: Yellow, Personal
Power  RAM.

Heart: Green, Love, Compassion 
YUM.

Throat: Blue, Creative
Consciousness  HUM.

Third Eye: Violet, Intuition  OM.

Crown: White, Reception of God's
Energy  AUM.

The
mantras should be chanted for fifteen minutes twice each day. We repeat mantras
during the day because it is like dyeing a cloth. You dip the cloth in bright
yellow dye, but after you wash it a few times, it gets pale. So you dip it back
in the dye, and now it's brightly colored again.

This is like our consciousness. We meditate for a while, and our consciousness
becomes clear. The thoughts cease. But then seven or eight hours later, the
clarity of consciousness has faded and the thoughts have begun to reassert
themselves.

The
sounds set up a vibration when spoken aloud, but they also set up the vibration
in the mind when spoken silently. The mind is restless, so it is useful to
repeat the mantra verbally or in a whisper. But whether it's verbal or
whispered or silent, the mantra should be spoken with feeling.

Primordial
Sound Meditation
Primordial Sound Meditation is an ancient mantra meditation that was revived by
Dr. Deepak Chopra. If you can think a thought, you can meditate. Meditation
should be easy and not forced or arduous. The mantras we use in the Primordial
Sound Meditation course are thousands of years old and have their own pathway
helping us to transcend past thoughts and intellect and into the level
of the soul. At this level there is no fear, anxiety, addiction, jealousy
or anger. Only pure love exists at the level of the soul. When you visit this
level of your being on a daily basis with meditation, you begin to live your
full potential.

Yantras are geometric
drawings that make visible the patterns of sound energy in a mantra. They are
the pictorial, geometric representations of the energies of mantras. Each yantra has its own visible power pattern, and when combined
with mantra, it builds form. Eventually, one transcends the yantra-mantra
and perceives the energy behind it. "Yan"
refers to conceptualizing, so the yantra is a mental
and somewhat physical representation of energy.

Mantra is a combination of sacred syllables which
spiritual energy.
The sages of ancient time and even today knew the healing power of mantras, and
passed on the knowledge to their disciples orally. The scientific use of mantra
is very potent, and can be used to heal most chronic diseases

Mantras recited in the right tone can give a resonant sonic vibration to the
various chakras in our body. In modern time, we have just realized that Light
and Sound is the greatest tool available to mankind for the purpose of
self-healing

Sounds are vibration, which gives rise to definite forms. The
repeated chanting of the name of the Lord gradually builds up the form or
special manifestation of the deity worshipped (the Devata),
acts as a focus to concentrate this influence, which then penetrates, and
become the center of consciousness of the worshiper.

Each Mantra has a Bija or seed. This
is the essence of the Mantra and gives it special power  self-generating
power. Just as within a seed is hidden a tree, so the energy in the Mantra is
the seed from which will grow a beautiful spiritual being.

Every mantra has six aspects, a Seer, a melody, a presiding
deity, a seed sound, power and pillar.
The seers, through their intuitive perception, opened themselves to the
revelation of the Mantras and were able to recognize their own effectiveness as
channels for the flow of grace, knowledge and power of the Divine. These
ancient seers understood their powers were intended to be used in the service
of others, as a guide to humanity.

The Mantras were transmitted from generation to generation from Guru to
disciple, and in this process, the power of the Mantras was greatly increased.

{With Para-Tan Sound healing, we use 'Bija'-mantras
(short core mantras like Om) due to is strong resonant sonic vibration it work
at the deepest level, directly with your 'cellular memory' thus helping you
clear long held emotional and physical blocks. This can be experienced either
in One-to-One sessions or in a safe and loving group of people: a Healing Circle.
Through reciting the mantras, we create a loving space to channel the higher
energies that provide healing on all levels - physical, emotional, mental and
spiritual.}

How it works
Generally, by following Hatha Yoga and performing Laya Karma, and asanas, or
postures, accompanied with meditation, mantra chanting, and visualization
techniques, one is able to activate the latent energy that works with the
autonomic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system. This are
linked with the ganglia constituting the main plexus. The dormant energy is
directed towards the highest place, the seventh chakra, which is known as the
set of consciousness.

Nadis are linked to the chakras, and the central
channel, Sushuma plays a vital role in Yoga and Tantric practice. The nadis
becomes the channel for the Mantra Sounds to travel on their pathway to
different parts of the body. According to Tantric
treatise Shiva Samhita, there are fourteen principle nadis of these Ida, Pingala and Sushumna are considered the most important, and the first
10 are connected to the 10 gates or opening of the body, Sound and energy also
uses this gates to nourish the body.

1st Sushumna the fontanel, 2nd Ida the left nostril,
3rd Pingala the right nostril, 4th Gandhari the left eye 5th Hastajihva
the right eye 6th Yashasvini the left ear 7th Pusha the right ear, 8th Alambusha
the mouth 9th Kuhu the genitals, 10th Shankhini the anus. There is the 11th gate which is seldom
spoken about, and that is the Navel, the main gate to our soul, from cradle to
the grave.

That is the general rule, but with us, we move the energy from the 6th chakra
to the 2nd, clearing the pathway, and then travel up from the 2nd to the 6th,
moving the dormant energy upwards in a very safe and gentle manner. During this
process, the energy and vibration produced by the Mantra frees the receiver
from being potential victim off old memories. These memories can than manifest
in the body as illnesses, or even a Tumor, breast cancer in women and prostrate
cancer in men, chronic fatigue, depression, menstrual disorder, disorder in the
productive organ in a woman, which is quite common these days even with young
women. The healing effect is felt by all who form the circle, as long and the intend and focus is there.

This healing process acts on two fronts, on one hand it heals, on the other
hand it also help you to evolve spiritually, without having to spend years of asanas, accompanied with meditation, mantra chanting, and
visualization techniques.

The
first sound that emerged during the evolution is the most sacred 'Om'. It is the first sound with three letters, A U M. Om
is the most potential of all the Mantras or hymns. It is the most powerful Beejakshara.The Vedas also describe how the universe came
into existence. The evolution of the universe is described in the most
beautiful and interesting manner in these sacred works. The universe emerged
with the coming together of the two powerful units, Purusha
and Prakruthi. During this creation, vibrations that
arose became the most powerful resonance. Even music and art is attributed to
this basic principle of vibration. It is this nada which produced the
alphabets. It is this rhythmic sound which keeps life going in the set pattern.
The correct chanting of these Mantras can lead the utterer
to derive his objective. Correct chanting is a must for setting a correct
rhythmic pattern, nada. Like Om, there are
other Beejaksharas, which are very potent and powerful,
the silent recitation and meditation on which can result in different powers.
The seven such Beejaksharas represent the seven Matrkas or SapthaMatrkas (seven young maidens). They represent goddesses
like Lalitha, Mahalakshmi,
and Saraswathi. They also represent the seven colours. Similarly, there are 24 letters in the Gayathri Mantra. The Panchadakshari
has 15 letters.These are similar to other Beejaksharas or group of words, which are potent with
powers and hence sacred. They represent various tatwas.
The seven swaras in the classical Indian music are
known as SapthaSwaras. The
seven letters, Sa, Ri, Ga, Ma, Pa, Da, Ni form the core
of Indian music. They create the Nada Brahma. They are the creators of Nada.
The 24 houses in the classical and ancient Indian musical instrument Veena,
represent the powers of the SapthaMatrkas or the seven goddesses. The recitation of such Beejaksharas leads to Mokasha,
liberation from the cycle of life and death. Nada has the power to liberate man
from the worldly attachments and enable him to obtain enlightenment, evolve
himself into an elevated human being.

Mantras can lead to both spiritual realization or material benefits. It can help
in the process of achieving enlightenment. Regular recitation, constant
repetition will help soothen the troublesome mind.
One should understand the meaning and significance of the sacred words, before
venturing into their recitation, before using them for contemplation or
meditation. He should choose the appropriate Mantra for achieving his desired
objective. But there are common set of Mantras which can be generally used by
the ordinary. By their usage, the disturbed mind can be brought under control.
It can ease tensions, help relax body and mind, and thus improve the health of
the reciter. Mantras are word powers. Either they
could be used spiritual realisation or material
desires. They could be used for one's own welfare or destruction. It is like
atomic energy. The energy from the atom can be either used for production of
more energy (power), for good or destruction. Its creative or destructive power
depends upon the devotion of the man who uses it. One can find Mantras not only
in Hinduism, but in various other religions like Buddhism, Jainism,
Christianity and Islam though they have different names. They are corresponding
words to Mantras.Find a Guru, have Mantropadesha from him and discover the potency in you by
constant practice.

A fresh look at Mantra Yoga

The
whole universe is Consciousness vibrating at different frequencies. All the
varying techniques of yoga (union) and meditation are based on the underlying
principles of resonance and sympathetic vibration.

Through atunement with a particular state of
consciousness we become it. Atunement means aligning
our variables so that they correspond with the state we are trying to attain.

What are the variables which we have to work with? They are such things as
posture, colour, our actions and the words that we
intone.

Sacred alphabets such as Sanskrit are said to embody the complete spectrum of
universal forces. By utilizing the science of mantra we may harness this
awesome power- this power of vibration which is the basis for the whole of
Creation.

It has often gone unrecognized however that the power of mantra yoga affects us
all whether we are aware of it or not.

When ever we speak silently to ourselves or out loud we are influenced by the
quality of the vibrations which we are giving out.

Imagine that you heard two people arguing in a foreign language which you could
not understand. You would be able to get a feel for what was been said by the
actual quality of the sound being produced.

It is not then necessary to know the ins and outs of the exact nature of sacred
alphabets nor to be empowered by a Guru in order to
benefit from the science of mantra.

By being mindful of the quality of our speech we will be making an important
contribution to our well being.

If you ever catch yourself talking harshly, with unkindness or moaning in a
victim like way know that you are actually intoning a negative although weak
mantra.

With this awareness, relax and uplift the quality of your speech. Imagine the
ideal: rich, confident and compassionate tones and aim for that. An
understanding of the virtues is useful in imagining the ideal. Be sure then to
study "Inner
Medicine" for a deeper appreciation of the virtues.

One of the reasons for the differences in national character is because of the
particular language habitually used. Even same language regional differences in
character and accent have a mutual effect on each other.

It can be useful to see your own character and speech in the context of
regional influences so as not to be restrained by them.

Whilst it is true that general speech is important, there can be no doubt that
more advanced mantra practices are far more powerful. Why is this?

Well as stated earlier atunement is connected with
optimizing variables. By sitting in the correct posture, by wearing natural loose
fitting clothing of a particular colour, by gazing at
a sacred image at the same time as reciting the mantra with conscious intent and
understanding its meaning then we are harnessing far more of the variables
available to us: thus having a correspondingly greater effect.

Where as the letters vocalized in everyday speech have a more or less random(or certainly unintentional) effect a true Mantra is
constructed specifically with a goal in mind. This means that the intention
energy is much more focused. It also means that the letters are chosen for
their innate and non-arbitrary vibrational effect.

It is also said that by using a mantra given to us by a genuine realized soul
the blessings are greater still. Firstly such a realized soul, being aware of
our imbalances etc, can prescribe us with a mantra/medicine ideally suited to
our temperament. Secondly it is said that such a mantra is empowered by the
blessings of the teacher. These blessings are partly due to morphic
resonance and partly intelligent spiritual intervention at subtle levels.

If you really want to understand mantra yoga then you must study the sacred
alphabets, the different types of letter and so on. Study many different
schools of thought on the subject and try to get to the deeper meanings below
the rubbish which inevitably creeps into these subjects.

All religious
disciplines are calculated to give man, the necessary concentration on the
divine and ultimately take him to the goal. They cleanse and intensify the
faculties of his mind- knowing, feeling, and willing.

A mantra is a sacred word or words. It is a mystic sound symbol of god. Mantra
is so called because it is achieved by mental process. man-
in mantra is for manana- ie
thinking and tra is for trana,
ie liberation from the bondages of the phenomenal
world. It was discovered by the saints of ancient India.

Mantras are letters arranged in a definite sequence of sounds of which the
letters are the representative signs. The mantra of any devatha[ form of god] is that letter or combination of
letters which reveals that devatha to the
consciousness of the devotee who has evoked him, by the power of his spiritual practise. Sound precedes the manifestation of form in
creation. Since from certain sounds certain forms evolve, every sound is
responsible for a particular form.

Mantras are vibrations which posses both constructive and destructive power.For example:

- Gayathri Mantra is used for
spiritual up liftenement.
- Sudarhanais used for protection from
negative energies.- SreeSooktham
for wealth.- Dhanwanthary Mantra
for healing and so on.

Every mantra
must be intoned and uttered in the proper sound and rhythm.

How
Mantras Work

There are different chakras in our energy body. Out
of these, 7 chakras are major chakras, because all of them come under the route
of Kundalini. Each chakra is associated with certain
sounds. We know that every sound produces a corresponding vibration in the
energy field. When a person constantly chant a mantra,
that sound will continuously produce a vibration in his energy field. Before a
sound comes out through our throat, it was there in the nadis(energy channels) and
in nerves. So we can say that a sound first manifest in the energy body and
then comes out through the physical body.

The continuous japa (chanting) of a mantra will
invoke the corresponding letters in each chakra. The pattern of letters and
sound in a Sanskrit mantra can thus create a very similar movement in the
chakras. Such a continuous vibration will affect the Kundalini.
So by the constant use of a Sanskrit mantra the kundalini
energy will start moving and this gives power and the required condition for
the person who used it.

The
Characteristics of a Mantra

byAvadhutikaAnandaMitraAcarya

The mantra is like a rocket engine that propels the mind beyond the
"gravitational fields" of the lower levels of consciousness, through
all the turbulence of the subconscious mind, to the superconscious
 and beyond. Thus, a correct process of meditation involves the generation of
immense psychic energy through intense concentration on the mantra.

Some systems of meditation which involve internal repetition of certain sounds,
advise the meditators not to concentrate on them.
Such techniques are quite relaxing and refreshing, but for spiritual elevation,
concentration is essential  the intense effort to focus the mind on the
mantra. Like the farmer whose mind was concentrated on his sick son, or the
chemist concentrated on his research, or the medium concentrated on her crystal
ball  the fixed attention of the mind on any object of thought will produce
the necessary internal energy to elevate the mind to subtler levels.
Experiments on AnandaMargameditators whose process begins with concentration
have shown that, rather than being asleep or passively relaxed, their bodies
and minds are in a state of intense physiological activation: more energy,
rather than less, is flowing through them.

Three Qualities of a Mantra:

Pulsative

What is the special effect of the mantra, that by focusing the mind on it, one
can transcend the ignorance and illusions of the lower mind?
A mantra must have three qualities to hold the restless mind steady, to
energize it, and to transport it to subtler realms. It must be pulsative, incantative and ideative.

First, it must be pulsative. It must be of two
syllables so that it can flow rhythmically with the breathing, for the
breathing has a profound effect upon the state of one's consciousness. You may
have noticed that whenever you are angry or upset, your breathing is fast and
short; but when you are absorbed in any task, you naturally breathe slowly and
deeply.

The functioning of breathing is closely associated with the flow of vital
energy in the body, called prana, which in turn
greatly affects the mind. If the breathing is fast and irregular, the prana becomes unsteady and agitated; the mind becomes
disturbed and perception and thinking are unclear. Thus control of breathing pranayama is an important part of yoga training. The more
the breathing is slowed and regulated, the greater the composure in the prana, and the greater the concentration and control of the
mind.

Once there was a minister who had greatly displeased his king. As punishment,
the king ordered him imprisoned in the top of a very high tower, and the
minister was left there to perish. That night, the minister's faithful wife
came to the tower, crying, to see if there was any way she could help him
escape. He told her to return to the tower the following night, bringing with
her a long rope, some string, some silken thread, a beetle, and a pot of honey.
Wondering at this strange command, the wife obeyed, and the next night brought
him the desired articles. The minister directed her to tie the silken thread
firmly around the beetle's leg, then to smear its feelers with a drop of honey
and place it on the tower wall, with its head pointing upward. Attracted by the
scent of the honey, the beetle crawled slowly up the wall, drawing the silken
thread behind it. Hours later, it reached the top, and the minister caught it
and untied the silken thread. Then he told his wife to tie the other end of the
thread, dangling on the ground, to the long string. The minister then pulled up
the thread until he could grasp the end of the string. Next he instructed her to
tie the rope to the other end of the string, and pulling up the string, he
grabbed the rope and tied it to the tower window  and slid down to freedom.

The silken thread is the motion of breathing the string is the prana or vital energy, and the rope is the mind. By
controlling the motion of breathing, we can gain control over the prana; by controlling the prana,
we can control the mind. Then we attain liberation from all bondages.

Thus the mantra must be of two syllables so that its slow and rhythmic internal
chanting will serve to slow the breathing, steady the prana,
and calm and control the restless wandering of the mind.

The Second Quality of a Mantra: Incantative

The second quality is incantative.
The mantra must have a certain sound, a certain vibrational
pattern so that when it is chanted internally, it will elevate the individual's
own vibration, or "entitative rhythm".

Each entity of this creation has its own particular entitative
rhythm, its own note in the universal harmony. From pulsing quasars to
oscillating electrons  from the ultrasonic melody of mountain ranges to the
ceaseless reverberation of the creatures, singing and drumming, whirring and
clicking, laughing and crying  all the notes are orchestrated in a vast cosmic
concert.

The source of this ceaseless rhythmic movement is the Infinite Consciousness,
soundless and still, the ocean of peace. Undisturbed by any vibration, it flows
in an infinite straight line through eternity.

The ancient sages, who had merged their minds in this sea of unexpressed
Consciousness, realised that the universe is a vibrational play of varied waves with different
wavelengths. By their intutional powers, they came to
understand the laws of universal harmonics governing this vibrational
flow, and they developed a subtle science of sound to affect the rhythms of
creation  without any mechanical apparatus.

Indian music, developed by the great yoga master, Shiva, over seven thousand
years ago, was one branch of that science. The classical ra'gas,
or musical scales, are so subtly attuned to the
rhythms of nature that each raga is to be played or sung only in a certain
season and at a certain time of the day, to produce a specific emotional effect
in the musician and audience. One raga is played only at dawn in the spring, to
evoke the mood of universal love, another is sung only during the evening in
summer, to arouse compassion; still another only during midday in the rainy
season, to summon courage.

It is said that the masters of music had control over not only human emotions,
but all natural manifestations as well they could produce heat and rainfall at
will, and the vibrations of their voices alone would cause finely-tuned musical
instruments to resonate in accompaniment! Historical documents describe the
remarkable powers possessed by Tansen, the 16th
Century court musician of Akbar the Great. Commanded by the Emperor to sing a
night raga while the sun was overhead, Tansen'svibrational song instantly caused the whole palace to
become enveloped in darkness.

But the subtlest of all these sciences of sound was the science of mantra. The
masters knew that each individual's entitative rhythm
vibrates at a particular frequency. Like many instruments in a symphony playing
in harmony, the combination of all the various "bio-rhythms" of mind
and body (psychic waves, heart beat, metabolic rate, etc.) produces the
individual's particular "melody". If this individual melody is raised
to subtler and slower frequencies, it ultimately becomes infinite  and the
mind merges in boundless Cosmic Consciousness.

Through long inner experimentation, the yogis developed a series of powerful
sounds or mantras which, when chanted internally, resonate with the
individual's entitative rhythm and gradually
transform it into the infinite straight line of Supreme Peace.

These sounds originated from inside their own bodies, and were systematised into the oldest alphabet and language on earth
 Sanskrit.

Sanskrit: The Human Body's Eternal
Song

Close your eyes for a moment and just listen.

What did you hear? Even when we are in a "quiet" environment, so many
sounds bombard our ears : the dull drone of machines, distant voices carried on
the wind, birdsongs, telephones, construction noises, traffic it seems
impossible to escape external noise in this modern world.

But if we can withdraw our minds from these external sounds, we will hear much
subtler, inner vibrations. In the absolute stillness of soundproof chambers in
scientific laboratories, insulated from all external noise, some people have
been able to hear some of these intemalsounds : a high-pitched resonance, and a deep throbbing the
vibrations of their own nervous system, and the pulsing of their blood.

Thousands of years ago, yogis meditating in the utter silence of caves or
mountains, were able to withdraw their minds not only from external sounds, but
from the noises of the physical body as well. They could then focus their minds
on centres of subtle energy inside them. Along the
spine and in the brain, there are seven psychic energy centres
or chakras which control the functioning ofmind and
body. Most human beings are unaware of these chakras, but when the mind and
body become more refined through meditation, these subtle energy centres can be perceived and controlled.

The chakras have been described by enlightened saints and mystics of all
spiritual paths and cultures  by Buddhists, ancient Chinese, Hindus, Tantriks, Christian and Jewish mystics, Sufis, and Native
American Indians. Recently, science has detected them as well. Sensitive
instruments have measured energy emanations (beyond frequencies which are known
to come from biochemical, anatomic systems), surging from the surface of the
body at the exact locations of the chakras.

Those ancient yogis who directed their inner ear
toward these energy centres, were able to hear the
subtle vibrations emanating from each 9f them  49 different vibrations in all.
Then they spoke them aloud, and each of these subtle inner sounds became one
letter of the Sanskrit alphabet

Thus, the Sanskrit language  sometimes called "the mother of all
languages"  was developed from the externalised
sounds of our subtle internal energies. It is the human body's eternal song.

Mantra Transforms the Entitative Rhythm

The yogis then combined these powerful sounds into
mantras which are attuned to the universal rhythms of the cosmos. For thousands
of years, these mantras were never written down, lest they be misused by
unworthy power-seekers, but were passed down directly from guru to disciple. Even
today, they must be learned personally from a qualified teacher of AnandaMarga; for different
individuals, with different entitative rhythms, will
receive different mantras for concentration. Thus, people of all nationalities,
regardless of their language, will use Sanskrit mantras for meditation, because
Sanskrit is the universal language for self-realisation.

The repeated chanting of the subtle inner music of the mantra (the "incantative rhythm") in meditation vibrates the
chakras and stills the restlessness of the mind:

Gradually, the meditator'sentitative
rhythm slows down in resonance with the mantra

Finally, it is transformed into the straight line cosmic rhythm, and merges
into the eternally still and serene sea of Cosmic Consciousness, the goal of
all yoga practice.

The Third Quality of a Mantra: Ideative

The mantra is not only a vibratory, pulsating sound
that harmonises all the rhythms of the mind arid body
with the Supreme Rhythm. It has a specific expansive meaning as well.

Yogis have taught for centuries the simple truth :
"As you think, so you become." It is now an accepted psychological
fact that the mind becomes like its object of ideation. Many experiments have
shown that our consciousness tends to merge or identify with any focus of
attention that is maintained for a sufficient period. Thus visualizations and
affirmations will gradually transform our minds according to their object of
concentration.

Understanding that people are often limited by the negative or inferior ideas
they have of themselves, psychologists attempt to change our
"self-image" and thus to completely transform our personality. In one
experiment, a man  sweating and straining as hard as he could  could only
lift 150 kilos of weight. Then he was hypnotised, and
the hypnotist repeated, "You are the strongest man in the world you have
tremendous strength!" Under hypnosis, he lifted 200 kilos without the
slightest strain or difficulty.

Today, the "power of positive thinking," positive affirmations and
creative visualisations are being used by many people
all over the world to become more successful, more popular, more wealthy. But
the goal of yoga is not so narrow or limited as worldly success or wealth. It
is nothing less than infinity  the infinite expansion of one's mind to merge
with the Supreme Consciousness.

Thus, the process of meditation also employs a repeated affirmation  the
meaning of the mantra "I am Infinite Consciousness" "I am one
with That." Actually, this is the reality  on
the highest levels of our being, we are infinite and we always have been; we
only do not realize it because we identify with our small egos, with the
limited lower levels of our minds.

So by daily practice, by the constant ideation, "I am That,"
we gradually lessen our false identification with our body and lower mind, and
identify with the blissful Self within. As the mind gradually, imperceptibly
expands through higher and higher layers, one glorious day we become completely
free from all the bondages of ego and realise that we
are not this body, we are not this mind, we are not
this imperfect personality  we are infinite. We are the Supreme Consciousness.
In that moment, we go beyond the mantra  beyond pulsation, beyond vibration,
beyond ideation  and in breathless silence, we dissolve into ecstatic union
with the origin of all.

Sooner or later, we will all experience it  it is the birthright of every
human being. Each person is a channel for infinite power and energy and
knowledge  a vessel to be filled with this neverending bliss. The revelations
of dreams, hypnosis, hallucinations, creative flashes, and intuitional
foresight have given us some idea of the limitless resources of our inner
spaces. Now we must check the external drift of our minds and turn our awareness
in upon itself so we can explore the Kingdom
of Light within.

"The Supreme Consciousness is inside you like butter in milk; churn your
mind through meditation and He will appear  you will see that the resplendence
of the Supreme Consciousness illumines your whole inner being. He is like a
subterranean river in you. Remove the sands of mind and you will find the
clear, cool waters within."
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